


Never One Without The Other

by Pietaker



Category: Toriko (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-28 01:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20417948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pietaker/pseuds/Pietaker
Summary: A short one-shot collection of memorable and sweet moments between Zebra and Komatsu.Toriko, Coco, and Sunny always knew that Komatsu was an amazing person and a talented chef with many hidden strengths. What they didn't know about was his ability to tame the most fearsome of beasts, or more specifically, one fearsome Zebra.





	Never One Without The Other

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my very first fan-fic, so I hope all of you will enjoy it!

Toriko, Coco, and Sunny always knew that Komatsu was an amazing person and a talented chef with many hidden strengths. What they didn't know about was his ability to tame the most fearsome of beasts, or more specifically, one fearsome Zebra. Until they went to visit the tiny chef who was throwing a housewarming party for his new King sized home, which he only got in order to accommodate the Kings whenever they visited. 

Komatsu was cooking up some dishes in the kitchen as per usual when Zebra wandered in to watch the small chef cook, he walked up behind him and about stuck his finger in the bowl the chef had been working with to get a taste when a tiny hand swatted his much larger hand away. 

“If you want to eat you'll have to wait until I'm finished!” 

Komatsu scolded. Zebra, being the most short tempered of the Kings and will get mad at almost anything, burst out in a fit.

“What the hell did you just say to me! Who the hell do ya think ya are tellin’ me what to do!?” 

He reached out to the bowl again when he suddenly received a slap to the hand and the bowl being pulled away.

“No means no, Zebra-san! Please don't just stuck your finger into the bowl without having washed your hands! It's very unsanitary!” 

“Are you getting cocky with me, brat! I'll fuckin’ tear ya apart and eat ya!” 

“Go sit down and wait until I'm finished, Zebra-san! The longer you distract me, the longer it’ll take to get the food out.” 

Zebra and Komatsu's face were incredibly close to one another with Zebra wearing a threatening and enraged expression, and Komatsu looking like a mother fed up with her kids behavior. Zebra growled in Komatsu's face, and seeing that the chef wasn’t letting up he huffed and grumbled a, “fine, whatever, just hurry the hell up,” before stomping away. 

“Don't stomp in the house!” Komatsu shouted at his retreating back, receiving an angry, “shut up!” And yet, even with the short tempered bishokuya having said that, the stomping had ceased. Toriko, Coco, and Sunny watched as Zebra stomped, then walked angrily back into the living room as he made himself comfortable on the little chef’s couch made to fit the King’s comfortably. Toriko was about to make a comment about Komatsu having tamed him, but Coco cut him off before he could make Zebra angry, 

“So, how is it going between you and Rin? Everything alright?”

“Yeah, although she’s kind of a bad cook and all I know is how to hunt, so we’ve had to come over and harass Komatsu for food pretty damn often, we also end up staying over sometimes too. His place used to be smaller and inside the city, so I didn't like it very much, but now that this new place of his is out of city limits, we’re a lot closer now and it's much more peaceful here. Honestly, I debated about just coming to live with him since I want to eat his food all the time, but then it’d be four people in the same house considering how Zebra is always at Komatsu’s place.” 

“Zebra? I'm honestly surprised to hear that, he generally doesn't like being in the city.” Coco pointed out.

“Well, we're talkin’ about 'Matsu-chan's cooking here, he'll probably put up with anything as long as he can eat the food he makes.” Sunny stated.

“Hey, ya bastards talkin’ like I ain’t even here. Ya better watch your mouths before I beat the shit outta ya!” 

Toriko then turned over to Zebra and asked, “By the way, Zebra, I’ve been meaning to ask, but do you and Komatsu live together or somethin’? Just about every time Rin and I were over, you were always already there chowin’ down.”

Zebra tilted his gaze up in thought and rubbed his finger against his chin, he then shouted, “Komatsu!” to which the chef appeared from the doorway and short moment later asking, “Hm? What is it, Zebra-san?” 

“Are we livin’ together?” the giant bishokuya asked, not even knowing the answer himself. The other three Kings stared in disbelief at the giant man's own cluelessness. Komatsu hummed to himself for a moment before saying, “Yes?” with a slight tilt of his head in a questioning manner.

“What?!” they couldn't believe that not even the chef knew.

“Well, when I bought the house I had already planned for Zebra-san having his own room upstairs since he visits and stays over so often, and he also ends up leaving his clothes at my place, so…” with that, his gaze trailed down to Zebra who was laying down on the couch looking up at him. 

“Do you want to live together?”

“Sure.”

With that, Zebra turned to the other Kings and simply said, “Yeah, we’re livin’ together.”

“Did you two seriously just make that decision now?!” they shouted in unison. 

“Wait, isn't living so close to the city gonna bother you, Zebra?” Toriko asked in genuine concern. 

“Hmph, doesn't matter, it's not like I pay attention to the sounds goin’ on in the city anyways. I usually just listen to what Komatsu is doin’ and focus on that.” Zebra admitted smoothly. There was a long pregnant silence before Komatsu burst out in disbelief,

“Eh? Eeeehhh?! You didn't tell me you were doing that! Can't you turn on the TV and listen to that instead?! Having you listening to me all the time feels like an invasion of privacy!” Komatsu argued with a bright red blush growing on his cheeks. Zebra, of course, huffed and turned his head away, deciding to promptly ignore the little chef. 

“Don't ignore me!” said the little chef, to which he was ignored. 

“I didn't know you'd become a stalker, Zebra! I'm glad you've got a new hobby!” Toriko laughed while Coco and Sunny stared between the two, already knowing what was about to transpire. 

“Hey, Toriko, mind stepping outside so I can beat your ass to a bloody pulp?” Zebra, who was now standing, said through restrained anger. Toriko chuckled and leaned back in his chair, 

“Well, if that's what you plan to do, then no thanks, I think I'll have to pass.” he said in a friendly manner. That pissed of Zebra even more and was about to use his voice until Komatsu coughed, causing Zebra to stop and glance over at the tiny chef who had his arms crossed and was looking at him with a narrowed gaze, 

“You better not. I just bought this place, if you plan to destroy it, then you better be the one to fix it,” Komatsu stated firmly, without a hint of fear in his voice or expression. Zebra growled audibly, clearly upset, but still bottling up his rage to save for later use. He clicked his tongue and sat down gruffly with his arms crossed and an angered expression on his face, to the other three Kings he just looked like a trouble making kid that just got his game taken away by his mother. Satisfied, Komatsu went back into the kitchen to quickly finish up to ease the tension in the atmosphere. The other three Kings verbally awed at this and clapped their hands as Komatsu made his way back into the kitchen. 

After the party, the three Kings left, except for Zebra who was now living with the small chef. When they were far away enough to ensure that even though Zebra would most likely hear them, he wouldn't bother coming after them. 

“I'm quite surprised Komatsu-kun was able to get Zebra under control. I don't think I've ever seen him like this before.” Coco noted.

“Well, that's good! Wouldn't want that unbeautiful beast losing his temper and terrorizing people!” Sunny said with a huff, followed by a hair flip.

“Yeah, it was like this the last time me and Rin came over. Did you guys know he has a cell phone?!” 

“What?!” Coco and Sunny shouted disbelievingly.

“Yeah! I don't know if he has our numbers, but Komatsu sure as hell has his, he's probably the only one that does. One time, Komatsu was at my place, and then…”

***

“Komatsu, is the food ready yet? I'm starving!”

“It'll be done in just a minute, Toriko-san.” it was early afternoon when Komatsu came to visit Toriko and Rin, the little chef decided that it would be an inconvenience for Toriko and Rin to have to always come to his home, so he decided to take upon himself to switch it up a bit. As Komatsu was putting on the final touches to the dishes, he suddenly remembered something.

“Hmm, now that I think about it, I think I'm running low on shampoo and a couple of spices.” Komatsu thought for a moment, 

_ Zebra said he was gonna be gone for awhile and that he wouldn't be able to hear me from where he will be at. I guess I'll have to call him then. _

When Komatsu finished bringing out the food, he fishes his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed Zebra's number. 

“Hm? Who are you calling? Can't it wait until you're finished eating?” Rin asked, looking up from her meal.

“No, I think it'd be better to call Zebra-san now before I forget what I want him to bring back.”

Toriko cocked his head at that, “Zebra? He doesn't have a-”

“Hello? Zebra-san?”

_ [Ah? What do ya want.] _

“Oh, well I just remembered that we're running low on shampoo and a couple of spices. If I don't make it back before you do, do you mind picking them up for me on your way back?” 

_ [Which ones do ya need.] _

“I'll text you the details in a bit, okay?”

_ [Fine, but I won't be back 'til dinner.] _

“That's fine.”

_ [What are ya gonna make tonight.] _

“Hm, that depends on what you're bringing back.” 

_ [Just got a buncha meat and some fish.] _

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

_ [Nah, as long as you're makin’ it, I'll eat anythin’.] _

“Then, I'll think about it later when you get back, okay?”

_ [Mm.] _

“And don't forget, alright?”

_ [I ain't gonna forget, there ain't nothin’ that I don't remember. And tell Toriko if he makes you stay later than necessary, I'll kick his ass.] _

Komatsu's chuckled at that,

“Well, be safe and see you later, bye.”

_ [Yeah.] _

When Komatsu hung up the phone and texted the names to Zebra. He stuffed it back in his pocket, deciding not to tell Toriko what Zebra wanted him to tell him, and turned towards Toriko and Rin who were gawking at him. 

“What's wrong?” Komatsu asked in genuine concern. Toriko lifted a trembling finger at him,

“Y-You. Zebra. You and Zebra. He has a phone?!” Toriko suddenly burst out, slamming his hands on the table. He couldn't believe that Zebra had a phone and didn't tell him his number, did their friendship not matter to him at all?! No, not friends, they were more like brothers! Which made things even worse! 

“Hey, Komatsu, give me his number so I can give him a piece of my mind about not givin’ his number to me!”

“Ah… sorry, Toriko-san, I don't think Zebra-san would be very happy with me if I give you his number without his permission…”

“What?! It's fine, what if I have an emergency!”

“I still don't think it's a good idea, I'll have to ask Zebra-san when I get back.”

“Come on, Komatsu! Please?”

“Sorry, Toriko-san, I don't want Zebra-san to be mad at me, and then he'll get mad at you too…”

***

“... In the end, Komatsu still wouldn't give me his number, and apparently, Zebra said no, which I'm confident he actually told Komatsu to tell me something along the lines of ‘tell him he can fuck off in a hole and die there,’ I'm pretty sure.” 

“Well, how about that. Even now I still don't understand Zebra, and this just further solidifies that.” Coco said in baffled tone. 

Zebra, who was listening in on the other three Kings, merely scoffed at their conversation.

“Zebra-san, do you still feel like eating? I'd be happy to make you more if you'd like me to,” Komatsu offered kindly. Zebra looked over at the small chef and quietly stared at him for a while, seeming to be in deep thought. 

“Hm? Is something wrong?” Komatsu asked sounding a bit worried. Zebra then suddenly grabbed his face by the cheeks with his large hand, not hard enough to bruise, but only enough to bring him closer to the point where their faces were only mere inches apart.

“Hmph, always with the ‘Zebra-san’ this and ‘Zebra-san’ that. I thought I told you to quit with the goddamn honorifics, I'm gettin’ tired of hearin’ it.” 

“Eh? B-But, Zebra-san is Zebra-san…”

“What the hell did I just say, huh?!” Zebra said in an irritated voice. Komatsu gulped and steeled himself, looking away, he slowly opened his mouth and said, 

“Z-Ze… Zebra…” in a small, quiet voice, but to Zebra, he heard it loud and clear. Zebra continued to stare at the chef, despite the small chef refusing to look back and decidedly staring off to a corner of the room. The giant bishokuya huffed satisfactorily, releasing the small chef and leaning back comfortably on the sofa.

“I'm still not full yet, and be sure to make me more dessert while you're at it,” Zebra said in a calm voice, as if nothing had happened. 

“O-Okay, Zebra-sa-” before Komatsu could finish, Zebra cut him off with a gruff and threatening sounding “Ah?” in which Komatsu immediately began to correct himself,

“Z-Zebra…” Komatsu said in a shy and quiet voice. Zebra only responded with a simple grunt and turned on the TV. 

***

The first time Zebra appeared in Komatsu's apartment was on a rainy day. 

Komatsu was preparing to make dinner for himself and Yun when there was an unexpected knock at the door. The little chef lifted his head in question, he shared a look with Yun and then at the door. He hasn't been expecting anyone today, it could be Toriko since he did tend to appear without letting him know beforehand, but he already left Toriko's place this afternoon after making lunch for the newlywed couple. Usually, Coco and Sunny would call out to him after knocking. 

Komatsu quickly washed his hands and wiped them off on his apron before quickly making his way to the door. As he unlocked the door, he slowly and cautiously opened it only to have a large and scarred hand latch onto the door, 

“Are ya gettin' cocky with me, brat? Hurry up and open the damn door already.” Zebra ordered, his face shadowed and leveled closely with Komatsu's. The little chef nearly screamed in terror had it not been for his own hands slapping tightly over his mouth to keep himself from doing so. Zebra pushed his way through the small door and with him a large chunk of meat, the giant man found his way into the small chef's kitchen and slapped the meat onto the table.

“I'm hungry, make me food,” he said simply. Komatsu, who was still standing at the door in shock, had to blink a couple of times before coming back to reality. 

“Ah, y-yes, of course!” He quickly closed the door, and just as he was about to make his way back into the kitchen, he noted that Zebra had taken off his boots in the foyer. 

_ Huh, I guess even Zebra-san can have proper manners too. _

Komatsu went into the kitchen and began cooking the meat. Zebra sat on the living room floor waiting for the food to be made while secretly listening and focusing on the tiny chef's soft murmurs; however, his focus was suddenly cut off when he felt small pecking on his arm. He looked down and watched as Yun pecked excitedly at his arm, obviously happy to see him. 

“The hell do ya want, are ya gettin’ cocky?” Zebra said in a passive way, seeming to have only said that as if to acknowledge it. Yun flaps its flippers happily and continues to chirp excitedly as if making conversation with Zebra and thinking he can understand him. Zebra simply observed the energetic little creature before picking it up by the top of its head and lifting it to his face where he opens his mouth as if getting ready to eat the baby wall penguin. Yun doesn't appear to be fazed by the action and only continues to chirp eagerly, seeming to take enjoyment to whatever Zebra to doing. When Komatsu entered the room, he was greeted with the horrifying sight of Zebra holding Yun in the air above his open mouth, seeming to be ready to take a bite out of him. He immediately rushed over and pulled Yun out from his grasp..

“Y-Yun is not for eating, Zebra-san! I won't let you eat Yun no matter what!” Komatsu yelled, clutching Yun protectively against his chest. 

“I wasn't gonna eat 'em! I was just testing the thing. You're raising that thing, ain't ya? You should teach it how to be scared and run away, instead of looking so damn happy it's about to be eaten.” Zebra suggested, surprising Komatsu. Could it have been that Zebra trying to look out for Yun? Of course, that kind of thing from Zebra wouldn’t be strange at all, since he was always looking out for and defending those in need before. Zebra was truly a very reliable person after all. 

“Well, Yun does know when to actually be scared, but Yun is strong even through all the fear and has even saved me many times before.” Komatsu stated, looking down softly and smiling warmly to Yun, brushing his hand against Yun’s head tenderly, to which Yun turned to him and smiled back happily. 

“Yun just isn’t scared because it’s you, Zebra-san. Yun knows that he’ll always be safe when he’s with you, because Zebra-san is strong, reliable, and always keeps his promises. Yun trusts you with all his heart… Just like I do, Zebra-san!” Komatsu said with so much certainty, as if those words themselves were a charm. Zebra’s heart beat loudly in his chest, almost loud enough to block out all other sounds. His face began to feel hot all of a sudden and all he could do was turn away to avoid his, most likely red, face from being seen and said, 

“Hmph, t-that's goddamn right, and don’t ya forget it, kid!” Zebra said in a way that it wasn’t just a promise, but an indisputable matter of fact. Komatsu chuckled warmly and hummed in agreement. 

Once the food was brought out and they started eating, Zebra eating like it was going to be his last meal and Komatsu taking in small amounts compared to the giant and his monstrous appetite, Komatsu turned to Zebra who was sitting adjacent to him and asked, 

“Zebra-san, I was just wondering… um, how did you know where I lived? Did Toriko tell you?” 

Zebra turned to him after swallowing a large bite of meat and grinned, showing off all his pearly white teeth.

“Heh, I can pick out your mumbling easy. What? Ya don’t want me here?” Zebra said followed by a hearty laugh. 

“What?! N-No, no, no way! It’s the opposite actually! If I knew you wanted to visit I would have given my address anyways. I just never thought you to ever want to come to my home, considering the size of it…” Komatsu’s sentence trailed off as he slowly began to find the size of his home a little embarrassing. It’s not like he didn’t have the money to invest in a bigger and better place, which he probably should if the Four Heavenly Kings were ever going to visit all at once, but before he met Toriko, he always felt like a big home for someone his size would feel empty and lonely. Eventually, a smile came to Komatsu’s lips,

“But, having Zebra-san here makes me happy! I’m always glad to see you, and having Zebra-san around makes me feel… safe, or something like that...” the little chef’s voice gradually becoming more and more quiet and shy after having fully registered the embarrassing things that just came out of his mouth. Komatsu’s dropped gaze rose to find that Zebra wasn’t looking at him, was he being ignored because he sounded a bit creepy? Komatsu’s eyes dropped back down and he fiddled with his fingers quietly until he heard Zebra begin to speak, 

“Kid,” Komatsu looked back up only to find that Zebra was now in his face without him having noticed that the giant man had moved at all, “don’t get cocky,” was the reply he received, which really wasn't that much of a surprise, it was a very Zebra thing to say after all. Once Zebra moved back into his previous spot, Komatsu smiled to himself and was about to finish his meal when Zebra continued, 

“You’re my partner after all, so you had better be happy seein’ me and feelin’ safe, cause with me around you ain’t gonna be feelin’ nothin’ else! I’m the one protectin’ ya now, so it’s gonna be my responsibility to take care of ya. Toriko would also get fuckin’ pissed with me and I’d never hear the end of his stupid yappin’,” Zebra ended with a big confident grin on his face, and it made Komatsu’s heart skip a beat, which no doubt Zebra could hear. 

“So, I guess you’ve stopped asking me to be your partner and finally just decided to take me from Toriko?” Komatsu asked with a warm indulgent smile plastered on his face.

“Damn right, got tired of waitin’ for ya to answer.” Zebra said, taking a big bite out a large hunk of meat. 

“That’s fine with me, Rin asked me to back off a bit so she can spend more time with him anyways. So, from here on out, I’ll be in your care, Zebra-san, please treat me well.” Komatsu turned his body towards Zebra and bowed in seiza position to him. Zebra brought a piece of meat to his mouth a mumbled, 

“Yeah, yeah… same here, feed me well,” Komatsu couldn't help but laugh at the last part. From that day forward, it was going to be the start of a new journey with the giant bishokuya and the little chef combo. 

***

A while after the countless times that Zebra started coming to Komatsu's house, the little chef had finally gone out to complete an errand he'd been trying to find the time to do. The next time Zebra came over, after eating dinner Komatsu turned to the giant man and asked him to hold out good hand.

“Please hold out your hand, Zebra-san,” Komatsu asked, hiding the small gift he'd prepared behind his back. Zebra looked at him skeptically, 

“Ah? Why? Whatcha hidin’ behind ya back there? Is it somethin’ ya got for me?” he looked at the chef and tried to peek behind him, but the small chef only pressed his back against the couch. 

“Yup! So hold out your hand!” Komatsu ordered. Zebra smirked with the unmarred side of his mouth and held out his large hand, watching and waiting to see the gift the little chef had gotten for him. Komatsu waited a few moments to give that dramatic effect before placing his closed fist onto the big open palm and releasing the small object into the bishokuya's palm. When he pulled away, the small object was revealed to be a key. Zebra examined the key in his palm, he then suddenly opened his mouth and lifted the key above it, preparing to devour it. Komatsu immediately panicked and grab the large hand before it could drop the key into the open mouth, 

“No! Stupid! It's not for eating! It's the key to my apartment, you can't, or rather you shouldn't, eat it!” Komatsu scolded. Zebra stopped his action and looked down at the key in his palm, then looked at the chef.

“Why the hell do I need this?” He asked, genuinely curious. Komatsu smiled helplessly at the man, 

“So, you can come into my house whenever you want, duh. I don’t want you to have to wait for me to finish work to come over every time, this way you can come and go as you please. The neighbors are used to seeing you by now, so it’s fine right?” Komatsu asked with a slight tilt of his head. Zebra just kept looking at the key and the little chef began to worry,

“I-If you don’t want it, that’s fine too…” Komatsu said as he reached to take the key back; however, just before he could do so, Zebra instantly closed his hand and pulled it away into the air and then quickly shoving it down his pants pocket. 

“D-Don’t get cocky!” Zebra said hastily, turning his face away, surprising the small chef. Komatsu giggled a bit before getting up to make some snacks for them, as he walked passed he tried to sneak a peek at Zebra’s face, only to see that he had already turned the other way. 

***

Some time after coming back from Gourmet Pyramid and going their separate ways with Zebra, Komatsu could help but think about the giant bishokuya and how much of an impact he had on him.

“Hey, Toriko-san, I was wondering, but does Zebra-san say ‘don’t get cocky’ every time he’s embarrassed, or something? Because I don’t really understand his system with that line, it seems like he says it at very random times.” Komatsu asked confused. He remembered Zebra always saying that to him, and sometimes it didn’t even make sense when he said it. 

“Ah, yeah, well… I probably shouldn’t say it since it’d piss him off, but… Just think about it this way, usually when he says that out of nowhere, if someone, say you for example, stepped on his toe or something and he said ‘don’t get cocky’ what he really means is, ‘don’t get cocky just because I like you and won’t ever actually hurt you’,” Toriko informed with a big smile, shocking Komatsu. 

“He’s a big fan of your cooking, so there’s no way in hell he’d ever actually hurt you. Plus, he wants you as his partner, right? So, really, he’s just a really big tsundere, you don’t need to be scared of him.” Toriko reassured, bringing a smile to Komatsu’s face. 

Ever since then, whenever he met Zebra and he’d always say his typical, “don’t get cocky,” randomly, all that Komatsu heard was, “don’t get cocky just cause I like ya”. 

***

Komatsu could still remember the day when Zebra first confessed to him, almost as if it’d happened just yesterday. It had been nearly two and a half years since they had first started officially living together, it was a cold winter evening on February 14th - Valentines day. A day where Lovers came together to spend time with each other and express their love for one another, or a time when people would find the courage and motivation to confess their undying love to their crush. Since neither of them had a significant other, and they just got back from a trip together, they decided to stay home for the day and have a big meal. Komatsu had just finished washing the dishes with the help of Zebra and they were now sitting in the living room, Zebra watching whatever was on TV and Komatsu playing with Yun. After a while, Zebra suddenly turned off the TV, catching Komatsu’s attention. 

“Hm? Are you going to head to bed early tonight, Zebra? If you are, I guess I’ll head to bed too then,” Komatsu asked; however, Zebra didn’t say anything and stared distantly at the ground, worrying the little chef. Komatsu got up telling Yun to head upstairs and sat close beside Zebra on the couch, after a while of living together sitting so close to each other eventually became a norm and gave a sense of comfort and companionship to one another.

“Zebra, is something the matter? If you don’t want to talk to me about whatever is bothering you, it’s fine, but I want you to know that I’m here for you, okay? So, if you want to, please tell me what’s wrong?” Komatsu urged. This wasn’t the first time that he’d caught Zebra in such a mood, it seemed to be happening quite often in the past few days. Even while traveling together, every now and then he’d catch Zebra deep in thought, his eyes distant and an almost _ hurt _ expression on his face. When Komatsu would see that look, he’d feel his heart clench and beat painfully in his chest, the thought of Zebra, the strong, reliable, loyal, and trustworthy Zebra, being _ sad _didn’t sit well with the small chef, and he just had to know what the problem was. 

Zebra inhaled deeply, then turned to look at Komatsu with a determined look on his face,

“Ya seem to have adapted to me well, Komatsu…” there was a short beat of silence, and Komatsu tilted his head, confused as to where the conversation was heading, but he nodded along nonetheless.

“Are ya happy… with things as they are?” Zebra asked seriously in a voice as gentle as he could manage. Komatsu nodded, nervous sweats already beginning to form along his face.

“What if…” Zebra swallowed thickly, “what if I said that I’m not?” 

“Eh?” Komatsu let out in a disbelieving and almost fearful voice, his eyes growing wide. 

Zebra wasn’t happy?

“W-Was it something I did? Did I do something you didn’t like? A-Are you not satisfied with my cooking anymore? I-I’ll try harder to get better, I promise!” Komatsu said, beginning to sound desperate and heart broken, his body trembled as his stared hard at the ground, unable to look the giant bishokuya in the eyes. 

“No, the problem ain’t you, it’s…” Zebra let out a big sigh, hearing the sigh caused Komatsu to flinch and Zebra turned to him and grasped him firmly, but gently by the shoulders, 

“Quit bein’ scared! Ya makin’ even me nervous dammit!” Komatsu finally looked up at the bishokuya to find a frustrated look on his face; however, it was also accompanied by a bright red blush.

“Like I was sayin’, the problem ain’t you! Food and fightin’ ain't the only things on my mind… thing is, I don’t wanna be_ just _partners anymore, it- it ain’t enough for me!” Zebra finally said, it only confused Komatsu all the more. 

“Y-You don’t want to be _ ‘just partners’ _ anymore? I don’t understand… Wh-what exactly is it that you want?” Komatsu asked completely bewildered. 

“Ya really gonna make me say it....” Zebra took in a deep breath and gazed deeply into Komatsu’s eyes,

“Go out with me.” Zebra said in complete and utter sincerity. Komatsu only cocked his head in befuddlement and said,

“Sure, where to?” in all seriousness. There was a long pregnant silence before Zebra slapped a hand on his forehead and groaned loudly, 

“Fuck, you’re dense! Do I seriously have to spell it out for you?! What I mean is I wanna date you! I wanna fuck you! Eat you out! Cuddle! Kiss! Do all that lovey dovey shit with you and only you! And hopefully, for the rest of my goddamn life! Are ya catchin’ my drift now?!” Zebra shouted to the point that Komatsu wasn’t sure if he was being scolded or confessed to. Thank god his closest neighbors were a mile away. Komatsu was completely taken off guard and his brain short circuited for a solid minute.

“If you don’t wanna, it’s up to you. I ain’t gonna force ya to accept my feelin’s or anythin’ and I won’t do anythin’ you don’t like. I just want ya to know that just cause you don’t like me back, it won’t change anythin’. And, If you want, I’ll move out and leave ya alone if you don’t ever wanna see my face again,” Zebra offered wholeheartedly, as if already making peace with being rejected, and it was likely he already had. 

“No! I-I don’t want you to leave, I’d never ask you to do that! It’s just…” Komatsu began to trail off; however, Zebra was patient with him and waited quietly for him to finish.

“I-I’m no good… You don’t want someone like me…” Komatsu said in a self degrading way. 

“Huh? Is that your roundabout way of turnin’ me down? Cause that’s a cocky way of doin’ it,” Zebra questioned, a little ticked off and unsatisfied with that answer.

“No! I-I’m not turning you down per se…”

“So ya do wanna date me then?” 

“No- wait, yes- wait, no! What I’m trying to say is that I’m not good enough for you! I-I’m not like Rin, I’m weak and can barely defend myself… I-” before Komatsu could continue, Zebra cut him off angrily,

“LIKE I FUCKIN’ GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THAT! I don’t fuckin’ care if your like that chick or not, this ain’t about her, if I wanted someone like her I would’ve went and found someone like her or went after that woman herself, but I don’t give a fuckin’ shit about her! You’re the one I’m after, I want you! Every goddamn inch of ya, from the tip of the hair on your little head to the very skin at the bottom of your feet!” the giant bishokuya said straightforward, any sense of embarrassment thrown out the window. Right now, all he cared about was showing his little chef just how much he meant to him, how much he _ wanted _ him, and that he was willing to fight for him. 

“B-But, I’m not at all good looking, I’m super short, I'm not that smart, I get scared at every little thing, and-” Komatsu tried to push, but Zebra cut him off again, having had enough of his self deprecating talk.

“Hey, I ain't appreciate ya shit talkin’ about the person that I like, and it’s really startin’ to piss me off. Talkin’ shit about them is the same as talkin’ shit about me, and that’s a cocky-ass thing to do. I don’t know who the fuck you’re talkin’ about, but the person that I like is plenty strong, smart, and cute as fuck even with all his flaws, and I love every damn bit of it.” the giant bishokuya said in an angry sounding way, but filled with much affection and raw passion. Zebra, invaded the little chef's personal space to get into his face and say,

“Talk shit about them one more time, and I’ll eat you.” he threatened, and Komatsu couldn't tell if he was serious or not.

“You’re not listening to me! I'm saying that you’re too good for me!”

“Do you fuckin’ like me the way I like you?!”

“Yes, of course I do! With all my heart!”

“Then there ya go! We’re datin’ now!”

“You. Aren’t. Listening!”

“I heard ya loud and clear, you’re fuckin’ crazy about me!”

“_ You’re _ the one that’s crazy about me!”

“Ya damn right I am, and ya better fuckin’ know it!” Zebra said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I- You-!” Komatsu to argue back, but any words he wanted to say immediately died in his throat. 

“Just shut up and be happy, will ya?” Zebra questioned, wrapping an arm around the small shoulders and pressing the chef into his side, and the moment Komatsu felt the heat of his body and the firmness of his muscles, he just melted. 

“... okay.” 

That was the most intense love confession ever, Komatsu noted.

***

Zebra and Komatsu kept their relationship a secret for a while, it also wasn't like they saw the others extremely often either so they didn't think about it a lot. The thought continued to drift away from their minds until they'd completely forgotten to inform the others of their relationship status, until one evening when it came out unintentionally. 

Zebra wandered into the kitchen while Komatsu was cooking, as he always did, and rather than grabbing the food he simply opened his mouth and waited to be fed. Komatsu smiled indulgently and took out a small portion to be sampled and held it to the bishokuya who grabbed the small hand holding the offering and sipped from the tiny sampling dish. Komatsu watched him with a warm loving gaze, finding himself thinking about how hard he had fallen for him, and wondering if it was possible to love him any more than he already did. Zebra caught the tender gaze and side eyed him,

“Don’t get cocky. Keep lookin at me like that and I’ll fuck ya right here,” Zebra warned in a deep and lustful voice, tightening his hand around the chef’s ever so slightly for emphasis. Komatsu’s face blew up into a bright red color and he opened his mouth to respond when rainbow colored hair wrapped around his entire body like a mummy and practically ripped the small chef out of the giant bishokuya’s grasp.

“Y-You absolutely unbeautiful, disgusting, inelegant, disgraceful beast!” Sunny shouted both appalled and angry, he ran into the living room where Toriko, Coco, and Rin were ran to Toriko and Coco’s side.

“Toriko, Coco, help me beat this heathen senseless! He’s finally gone off the deep end and has turned to rape! He wants to rape ‘Matsu!” Sunny yelled urgently, protecting the tiny chef with his hair and hiding him away behind his back. Zebra gaped briefly before all the shock turned into rage,

“Ya gettin’ cocky bastard! The fuck are ya talkin’ about this ‘rape’ nonsense! I ain’t never do that kind of shit! You wanna die bastard!” Zebra roared in anger. Rape was something only the lowest of the low and cocky bastards did, and saying that he was one of them pissed him off to no end. He would never force Komatsu, the defenseless, modest, humble, sweet, and adorable Komatsu, into anything he didn't want to unless it was for his own safety. To imply that he would ever _ hurt _ Komatsu was a cocky thing to do, and everybody knows what happens to cocky bastards when Zebra is around.

“Shut up! You’re not allowed to defend yourself when I clearly heard you say, and I quote, ‘I’ll F-word ya right here’!” Sunny shouted, ready to beat the man into the ground. Toriko quickly got between them and acted as a barrier with his arms spread out.

“Whoa, hold on there, Sunny, you must’ve misheard him or something. Even though Zebra is, well - Zebra, he would never say something like that to Koma-”

“I said it.” Zebra admitted candidly and with no amount of care given. Toriko's turned to Zebra, holding up his pointer finger in a wait gesture.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, why would you say that?! Have you no sense of decency?!” this time it was Toriko telling in disbelief and bordering on anger. No one hurts his partner, not if he had anything to say about it.

“What the fucks the problem? Ain’t like it’s the first time I said it.” again, Zebra admitted blatantly.

“You’re goin’ back to jail, dude.” Toriko said already looking as if he was preparing to put down his long time friend/brother. 

“It’s not like I’m fuckin’ makin’ him or anythin’! We’ve been bangin’ for months now, why the hell does it even matter?” 

Everybody immediately fell dead silent.

“YOU BOTH HAVE WHAT?!” the entire room burst out, utterly shellshocked. And the only word Zebra let out was a single, 

“Ah-...” his mouth hanging open at the realization of what he just said. 

Later on, after everything has settled down and Komatsu was released from his hairy prison, everyone sat down in the living, Zebra and Komatsu seated next to each other closely, and awaited an explanation.

“Did we ever…” Komatsu began slowly. Zebra running the back of his neck and looking to the side, seeming to feel awkward and a bit guilty. 

“Nahhh… It’s pretty damn obvious we didn’t.” Komatsu sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat trying to find the right words to say.

“Um, well, you see… Zebra and I are…” his words trailed off, unable to pick between ‘we're dating’ or ‘we're going out’. Zebra noticed this and took it upon himself to continue.

“We’re goin’ steady,” he said in a plain spoken fashion. Komatsu breathed out a thankful breath that the man took over and didn't say something stupid like they were ‘fucking’ or something of that sort. That would have really made him mad, and Zebra would have to get himself well acquainted with the couch for the next two weeks.

“For how long?!” everyone said in unison. Komatsu pressed the knuckle of his finger on his chin in thought,

“Almost a year now I think, right?” he asked, looking up at Zebra, who hummed in confirmation.

“Yeah, it’ll be one year next month on the 14th.”

“Valentines?! You guys started dating on Valentines?!” everyone, except Komatsu and Zebra, shouted in unison. They all then began gathering around the two, each congratulating and making a fuss over them.

“Who confessed?” Sunny asked excitedly. 

“I did.” Zebra started blandly.

“Valentines, huh? That’s such a cliche time to confess.” Coco wondered out loud, causing a growl to erupt from Zebra's throat.

Rin squeaked and pulled Komatsu into a tight, friendly embrace. “Yeah, but it’s still really cute when you think about the fact that it was Zebra confessing to Komatsu.”

Toriko nodded and glanced almost slyly at Zebra.

“I wonder what his face looked like! What if it was like in those romance movies where it’s like ‘um, I’ve been in love with you forever now, please go out with me!’ kind of thing.” Toriko said, as he mimicked a young woman's voice.

In that moment, another thought crossed his mind and he got up into Zebra's face with a finger pointed at him.

“Hey, Zebra, you better not be hurting my partner with that weapon of mass destruction in your pants." After that, it seemed as if the room feel until silence in almost an instant. Komatsu was the first to move as his face exploded into a bright shade of pink and he began sputtering nonsense.

“Wha-! I-!”

Zebra drew the chef close into his side and patted his butt with his large hand, causing a surprised squeak to escape from the small chef.

“He’s takin’ it just fine, got him mewlin’ like a cat in heat.” Zebra said in an incredibly cocky and proud manner, making Komatsu even more embarrassed.

“Shut up, stupid! Idiot! Moron! Big mouth!” Komatsu yelled, swinging his tiny fists at the giant bishokuya, which felt as light as a kittens paws to the man.

“What? It’s true, you're always clawin’ and bitin’ at me, and-” 

“Stop! Is this some public execution or something?! Jeez, you can be so embarrassing sometimes!”

“Don’t get cocky! I ain’t embarrassin’! It’s only embarrassing if you make it!”

“You are embarrassing sometimes! Like just now, stupid! Learn to keep your mouth shut!"

"Hah?! Don't get cocky!"

"Shut up!" 

Everyone else decided to sit out for this and watch as the two got into a lover's quarrel, which was probably a pretty frequent occurrence with the two. In the end, Komatsu won, Zebra had to let his little lover win if he didn't want to get into any big trouble. Zebra, being the little shit he was, liked picking fights with his lover every now and then, but he knew when to back down if he didn't want to end up with blue balls for a whole month.

***

When the whole world found out that the most dangerous and volatile bishokuya, Zebra, was dating the world renowned and loved chef, Komatsu, to say the world went into cardiac arrest was an understatement. Toriko and Rin's marriage was like a tiny fart in the wind compared to the absolute shit storm that was to be named the demon and his bride, Zebra and Komatsu. 

It all happened after what was supposed to be a nice and relaxing evening on the beach after returning from a deep sea expedition for new ingredients. They managed to find many new and exciting things together, and after coming back, they thought some quiet time on the beach together would've been a great ending to their day. Komatsu was caught up in holding and messing with his boyfriend's hand, looking at it and lacing their fingers together, when he looked up and saw his giant boyfriend staring down at him. He couldn't help but smile warmly back and hold his hand close to his body, pressing his cheek against the backside of his scarred hand and tightening his hold on it. 

"Sorry, your hand is just so big, strong, and rough, but when I hold it like this it becomes so gentle. Do you think I'm weird for loving it?"

Zebra growled and leaned in close.

"Quit stirrin' me up when we're not at home, it's hard enough holdin' back on the daily."

Komatsu giggled and kissed the back of Zebra's hand.

"Well, you can let loose all you want when we get home. You've been a good boy today, so I'll reward you for your good behavior, how about that?"

"That doesn't count towards my brownie points, right? I've been stockpiling those cause I've been wantin' to try something out with you."

"Nope, you can save those points for later, this is purely a gift from me to you for being a good boy all day."

"Sweet."

Zebra then went in for a quick peck on the lips, but just then he heard the snap of a camera. He quickly pulled away to look at his surroundings, they were seated behind a rock, and there were still quite a few people at the beach and playing in the water. There was also multiple camera shutters going off from people taking pictures of the beach and with their friends and family; however, this one went off at the exact moment their lips touched. It could've been with a quality camera that could take pictures from a great distance, so the sound was mixed in with all the other camera shutters going off. Zebra growled irritably, no doubt something troublesome was going to come out of this, so he grabbed Komatsu's hand and began their trip back home. 

A few days later, they were cuddling on the couch together in their cozy home and flipping through the channels, when one caught their eye. It was about them. Zebra snarled and the vein in his head pulsed, he knew there was something up with that camera shutter going off. 

Since it was essentially his own fault for kissing the little chef out in public, he anxiously dared to look down at his lover's face, expecting to be met with a fearful and horrified expression. However, he actually looked pretty calm, if not a slight bit caught off guard, which was a surprising development from the smaller man. 

"Well, looks like we were going out."

"You're not pissed or gonna cry about it?"

"No! Back then I may have, but I guess getting older has mellowed me out. I mean, I am a little nervous, no doubt people are gonna harass me on my way to work and stuff." 

Komatsu looked down at his hands fiddling his lap for a moment, before glancing back up at his giant lover.

"But, I think it's actually kinda a good thing, it means I can get all lovey dovey out in public with you now. What about you?"

Komatsu asked, hoping that the man wouldn't sound ashamed of their relationship going public. Zebra scoffed and pulled the little chef even closer to him.

"I don't give a shit. It just means everyone's gonna know you're mine now." 

"You'd like that wouldn't you?"

"You bet, you gonna get mad when I'm all over you in public?"

"Of course, stupid. But, you can be all over me now."

"Don't mind if I do."

From then on for a whole month, they had all eyes on them. Komatsu always found himself getting swarmed by paparazzi, people still didn't want to get near Zebra, if Zebra wasn't around he was constantly harassed and the paparazzi would even attempt to follow him home and even try to stalk him. Komatsu made sure that they didn't know where he lived, but in the end they found out anyway, and Zebra would have to scare them all away. 

One good thing that the two could agree on coming out of this was the absurd articles written about them, it had certainly become something they both enjoyed reading together.

"Zebra! You have to see this, a new article came out on us!" Komatsu yelled excitedly as he burst through the door, waving around a magazine in his hand feverently. 

"Well get your sweet little ass over here then!" Zebra said, with his arms open and waiting for his little lover. Komatsu happily bounced over and made himself comfortable in the giant man's lap, opening the magazine to their page. 

"Look, look! _ Beloved Chef Komatsu And Wild Bishokuya Zebra No Longer An Item?! _"

Komatsu held back a laugh and looked up to his big boyfriend's reaction.

"What the fuck? When the hell did this happen?"

"Oh, lemme read it to you. 

_ Many had foreseen the end of their newly found, yet bizarre relationship, but never in such a spectacular way - _"

"It's still pathetic how they still don't know we've been datin' for three years now." Zebra cut in briefly.

"_ The duo was seen having a rather serious argument in a secluded area of an amusement park, and although the contents of their argument remains unknown, it could mark a grave end to their relationship _."

They both looked at the photo of them at the amusement park with Komatsu pointing his finger and seeming to be angrily saying something, while Zebra looked a slight bit more pissed off than usual and with his arms crossed and leaning down to get up in the little chef's face. Zebra scoffed at their dramatic assumption and let out a low chuckle.

"These get better every time I read 'em. Those cocky bastards sure got a lot guts writing this shit."

Komatsu giggled and leaned back onto his boyfriend's chest.

"It's fun to read though, so I can't complain too much. But, what's even better is - why would we break up over who's turn it was to do the laundry?" 

In the end, they both decided to do the laundry together.

***

Typically, new couples would go out on dates and lavish each in grand displays of love to show their affections. Zebra and Komatsu… did none of that. They never really had a first date and they didn't really buy each other things because there was never anything the other really wanted. You could say that every time they went out together was a date because their outings didn't always consist of hunting for food, although looking for and trying new food was probably already a perfect date for them. However, there were days where they would camp out and cuddle together under the stars, visiting new and exciting places like amusement parks and such, or even just doing something as simple as staying home and cuddling on the couch forever. 

They both silently agreed that this was just how they were and how they showed their love to one another. Being together was all that mattered, no matter where they went and what they did. If anything, they just preferred to be alone together where there weren't any prying eyes and they could cuddle, kiss, feed one another, get up in each other's space, maybe even get a little naughty, and all in all bask in each other's presence without being judged. 

Maybe they'd get married one day, or maybe not, they never did like sticking out, but either way it was pretty obvious that they were made for each other and would never be apart. Where there was Zebra, there was Komatsu, and where there was Komatsu, you could bet there was definitely Zebra. 

They already had everything they could ever want and need in each other, what more could they ask for?

**Author's Note:**

> So, how was it? Did ya like it? Let me know in the comments! Creative criticism welcomed, and I hope you guys will stick around to read the other fics that I will post later on!


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